The Shadow Dog
by JimmyRabbit
Summary: Stan is a Black Shepherd, smart, witty, and friendless... until one day he crosses paths with a fox. Sworn enemies at first, but as time goes by, they realize they have more in common than they thought... which brings about an unlikely relationship that MIGHT just last over the changing years... or will it? - Rated T for romantic and thematic elements.
1. Introduction

_Idea Inspired by the song "Gold" by Owl City_

 _I don't own Nick or Judy or Zootopia. Disney does._

* * *

 _ **Introduction:**_

"Please give a shout out to Stan, our evening relief."

The crowd at the bar cheered for the Black Shepherd Comedian walking onto the stage. He wore a nice blue tux tonight.

He took the mic in his paw and with a big smile addressed them. "HEEEEY! How are you guys doing tonight?"

The crowd cheered again. The shepherd scanned over them... it wasn't a big crowd... in fact, it was only about 20 animals from canines to felines alike or not alike.

"How many of you tonight are prey? Raise a paw... haha, I'm just kidding. Raise a hoof."

About 3 individuals did. A zebra, and two elk.

Stan chuckled. "I have high respect for you guys. Give yourselves a pat on the back because this city ain't easy to live in. Heh." Nobody really laughed at that. Stan looked puzzled at the audience. "Don't fret, that wasn't the joke... the joke is... how many predators in here, raise a hoof- I mean... a paw."

The other majority of the crowd did so. Stan looked disappointed. "Huh... Looks like we have a tie." A few chuckles. ... "If there was a robbery here, and they happened to be canines... just throw a bone, say fetch, and they'll chase it and forget they were robbing the place." More laughter ensued.

The special lasted another 20 minutes before he went off the stage... by the time he did, the entire crowd of now over 40 animals was on their hind feet and applauding this dog... That's why he did this... because he always knew how to END the night, but not always how to begin one...

Stan was young... only 19 years old. But he knew how to make the world smile... and that's what he did every night. From bar to bars and clubs, pleasing crowds of half a hundred or less.

It was practically perfect.

* * *

Stan took a pepsi at the counter and drank to his heart's content.

The bartender, a honey Badger named Tom, was on the counter beside him, wiping out a glass with a cloth. "Good show tonight, Shep. You really got them smiling tonight."

He may not have been old enough to consume alcohol, or even to be in the building, but he had earned the respect of every drunk animal in the room.

"Well, well... if it isn't Mr. Funny Pants..." A drunk wolf slurred next to him.

Well... all except one.

Stan looked down. "There's nothing funny about my pants."

"Oh, you think you're SOOO clever, don't cha?"

Stan smirked. "These guys do." He gestured to the rest of the animals in the bar.

The wolf smirked and he came closer to Stan. "Ya know... You ain't old enough to be here."

"Hey" The bartender, a Badger on the counter spoke up. "Leave him alone. He ain't drinking."

The wolf made a "Pfffffff" Sound, spitting on the Black Shepherd. Stan backed away. "Look, guy... I don't want any trouble."

"Oh, yeah, well you should've thought of that before you came here!" The wolf raised a paw about to strike the shepherd when the badger leaped from the counter and grabbed onto the wolf's arm, biting it. The wolf howled in pain as he dropped to the ground. The badger found his footing on the wolf's chest and bent his arm. "Get out of my bar! You're no longer welcome here!"

"What!? I can't start a simple bar fight."

"No." The Badger and shepherd said in unison.

He climbed off the wolf, who stumbled to his feet and had a crooked grin on his muzzle. "I'm warning you, Sheppy... once you step out of line again, there will be NOBODY around to protect you." He turned and headed towards the exit, but not without angrily knocking over a chair on his way out. A few other animals watched, but most didn't even realize anything was happening.

Stan turned back to the counter and tapped his claw on the surface, sighing.

The badger turned to Stan. "Don't let him get under your fur. He's just drunk."

Stan shook his head... "No..." And he lifted the glass to his muzzle for a sip, than placed it back down. "He's just a jerk."

* * *

As Stan was exiting the bar and into the parking lot, he noticed a group of wolves in the darkness of the alley... he immediately noticed the wolf he encountered inside... as well as 3 others. He dismissed them all and went to his car. He took out his keys and fiddled with the lock before realizing someone was leaning on the other side. "Well, I see you still drive the same lame ani-mobile."

Stan looked up to see none other than an old friend... a fox in a green Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses (the only fox he knows that wears sunglasses at this late hour). A wide smile crossed the fox's face as he lifted his specticles to get a good look at Stan's eyes. "How you doin, buddy?"

Stan's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't seen Nick Wilde in almost 2 years. A smile crossed his own face as he circled his car and gave the fox a big hug. The fox returned a long, tight embrace to the shepherd and even nuzzled his neck a little. Stan was like a little brother to him.

"I see you haven't changed one bit." Stan said.

"No need for change." He said stepping back and scanning Stan and his tux. "DANG, you look sharp. You got a date?"

"Very funny." Stan said. "Nah, I actually work here."

Nick's ears went back as he laughed. "Really? Aww, well isn't that simply perfect, you always wanted to be a comedian." He gave a friendly punch to Stan's shoulder.

Stan's smile faded a tad as he looked down... "Yeah..." ... He looked back up at Nick. "Where... have you been all this time?"

"Hey, I'm here now, so don't even fret about it." Nick padded Stan's cheek with his paw and opened the passanger door. "Let's just say, I had to get away." As he seated himself in the car. "Come on, let's go."

It was clear whatever happened... that he didn't want to talk about it. Stan got into the driver's seat and they went on their way...

Another night of comedy... another day of work.

He was lucky. Lately in Zootopia, finding a good job is about as easy as finding a pot of Gold at the end of a rainbow... in a flood... on Mars.

... Well, maybe it wasn't THAT hard... but it surely wasn't easy.

* * *

 _ **12 hours later**_

"Don't tell Bogo." Judy said to Nick. "You had the right to hold him in contempt ya know."

"He told me he worked there." Nick said in Stan's defense. "I know he's underage but he wasn't even drunk. Besides... I was off duty."

Judy pondered this... "... Just... don't say anything else about it. It would only raise suspicion."

"Trust me, I know this guy, he's no trouble at all."

Judy sighed. "You just know EVERYBODY who is anybody, don't you?"

"Indeed I do." Nick responded with a wide grin.

"I hope you realize that doesn't mean you can always let people off the hook, Nick. The law is the law, no matter who breaks it."

"Of course." The fox responded.

A few moments of silence followed that statement... in those moments of silence, Nick hoped in his heart that Stan keeps the law to the letter.

The last thing he wanted to see was his childhood best friend ... behind bars.

* * *

 ** _Thank you for reading!_**


	2. Chapter 1: Sworn Enemies

_I imagine the "Bridge To Terabithia" theme song goes pretty well with the opening of this chapter._

 _For those of you with an imagination. ;)_

 _Enjoy._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

 **Sworn Enemies**

 **Stan's POV:**

It sucks to be a smart dog breed... in a high school... full of DUMB animals!

Everybody had their own agendas, their own friends... and I had mine. My agenda... was to NOT make friends. I liked it that way.

I called myself the "Lone Shadow" because I would always be off on my own somewhere, weather it's sneaking into an empty classroom or a closed off auditorium playing the piano in the dark... no other animals I knew had even a pinch of musical talent. Yet, the school still harbored a mediocre band-room full of animals that can't play jazz to save their lives.

Nobody cared about my piano talent and that was fine. I wasn't even that good. My father said that if I wanted to be as good as the famous Dodger B. Joel I had to put the practice hours in.

That shows how much my wise shepherd dad knows... I wanna be my own pianist. Enough said. "Barkety bark bark." This is why nobody knows anything...

But... to be fair, I do owe my mother some credit. She's the one who taught me in the first place... until I quit lessons and went off on my own. I hated it when someone would walk in on me and say how "amazing it was". But worse than that... if the walked in and told me to:

"Get out of here! You're not supposed to be here! Do you WANT to be suspended?"

I responded with a middle claw... but it's not like they saw me. I was just as black as the rest of the dark. My fur was midnight black all around on my mom's side, and the strange thing was, I was practically invisible because of it. It helped me get away with things...

I loved the piano... it was my only friend. I made enemies everywhere else I went simply because I was smart. Because of that, they avoided me. A bunch of jelly animals... they never understood me.

That's their loss... they never tried to.

* * *

One day I was in class, I finished work early and had nothing to do, so I asked to go to the bathroom.

And yes... I wasn't stupid. I hated class because it was always beneath me. The teachers knew less about the subjects than I did. I've been told my whole life that shepherds were smart, and I didn't realize it until I could get my work done 6 times faster than the average dog.

Anyway, as I was leaving the classroom for the bathroom, someone's hind leg tripped me from under a desk. When I hit the ground I growled, and heard a few other animals smirking. I stood back up to see the face of a fox... he was the only one who wasn't laughing. He looked very upset. I sneered at him in distaste.

Then came something I didn't expect... the teacher spoke up. "I guess that's what you get for being the smartest in the class... you fall on your a$$."

Then came the cheering from the class... I should be a poet.

If you think I came back to that class that day, think again... I was out like an empty bowl of food.

... As I once again found the unlocked door to the darkened auditorium... the moment I was on the other side... I started to cry.

If this is what happens to smart dogs, then I didn't want to BE a smart dog!

I felt torn... I went home that day in tears to my mom, telling her I hated being a freshdog, 9th grader... and I hated high school.

My dear shepherd mother... she told me something I will never forget. "If you can't eat them, beat them."

In other words... "Beat them at sports, beat them at music, beat them at school work. Be PROUD that I'm smart, and agile, and quick... because all of those things is what makes a survivor."

Dog, I love my mom.

* * *

A few long weeks went by... and I took every bit of advice from my mother.

Before I knew it, I was honor roll student, and by Dog... EVERYBODY hated me.

Good... I couldn't be more proud of myself. Even my father took me out for pizza once he saw my grades.

I wasn't sure why I wasn't as close to my dad... I guess he was the sports type and I liked music. Being the German shepherd that he was, he loved being athletic and sportsy... but that just wasn't the life for me. I guess I was probably a disappointment to him.

When I walked through the halls of the school, animals would glare at me, gossip about me, sometimes try to SNAP at me... but I ignored most of it.

I saw the fox again... he was sitting alone on a bench, reading a book... he didn't look up at me. I walked over to him, folding my arms. "Well... I think someone owes me an apology."

"What for?" The fox huffed, looking up at me and slamming the book. "Because you're Mr. Smart Dog and you deserve respect from every struggling student around you?"

"Hey, you don't have to lick my soles, all I want is an apology for tripping me."

"Pass." The fox spat, opening his book to bury his muzzle in it again.

This made my blood boil. I gritted my teeth and slapped the book out of his paws. "Woops. I guess I won't apologize for that, then!"

The fox stood up abruptly and shoved me in the chest. "Buzz off, jock!" And he went to go pick up his book.

I didn't let him, I kicked that thing away from him so hard is slid almost 50 feet down the hallway.

That did it. He pounced on me. I fought back, yelling. "APOLOGIZE!" I yanked his ears and gave several warning bites on his shoulder before a couple of teachers came along and broke it up.

"I will NEVER apologize to you!" He shouted.

I spat in his face and in return got slapped by the teacher, a pig, a little larger than me. I could've fought her off, but didn't. I thought I was in the right at the time... the fox was just a jerk with no regards for anybody.

I hated him.

* * *

Present day:

As the bar was closing, me and my fancy tux went to the corner and played a little bit of piano.

As seats emptied and animals were leaving, the bartender, a honey badger named Tom whistled to me. "Okay, Stan, I gotta head out."

I closed the lid and walked over to him. "Ya know, I wish you had more piano jobs for me. I enjoy that more than comedy."

Tom sighed. "I know you do, kid, and I love your music, but... it's a little... depressing. You're better at making them laugh. That's where I need you right now."

"I'm better at piano than comedy, Tom."

"And the other guys are better at piano than you are... they've been playing since the day they were born. They KNOW how to impress the audience... you aren't ready for that. Maybe one day but... kid, I need ya on the stage, making them laugh. They expect that."

I sighed, nodded... and bid Tom a good night. As I was walking out I heard him behind me. "I'm sorry kid, I really am."

Oh, what I'd give to have heard that from Nick years ago back in high school...

With a slight turn I smiled at him... a hurt smile, but one none the less. "I understand, Tom. Have a good night."

"You as well." He said as I closed the door behind me.

* * *

A strange feeling came over me when I arrived at my apartment. I felt like the air was still and it was too quiet.

"... Wish I had a pet." I mumbled to myself.

It was a nice apartment though, a one bedroom studio... a queen bed by the window and a small kitchen on the other side. It was all a dog could ever want.

I took a shower, brushed my k9's, muted my ph-...

Wait... A text? ... I don't get a lot of those...

Oh... heh... it's from Nick.

"Wanna do something this week?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, laughing a little... I didn't know how to respond so I just put it back down.

I took off my trousers and went to bed... yes, I sleep in the nude, so what?

And the thing is... it was like this EVERY night. I got so used to it, but tonight... I thought about the text... something that slightly broke that routine.

I closed my eyes... and my thoughts turned on some memories from my past...

* * *

Past:

As me and the fox both sat in the principle's office, we avoided any and ALL eye contact.

Nobody said anything for several silent minutes... up until I heard the fox say "I'm sorry."

Wow... is THAT what the fox says? Because I didn't hear it. Say it LOUDER!

Instead of voicing that... I stayed quiet. I felt his head turn my direction though. "I'm talkin to YOU, Sheppy."

The principle walked in, a male leopard in a suit. Snappy. It suited him... haha. suited...

I don't know what I thought was so funny... I guess it was the fact that he had a smile on his face and was in a cheery mood. Maybe I knew we would get off scratch free.

He sat down and looked at the both of us. "Stanley Hepperd and Nicholas Wilde... did I get those right?"

"Yes." We both said.

He smiled. "Good." and he leaned in closer, putting his paws together. "Look, I know you two are good students, and I think if we can just sort out whatever it is, we can let this go and nobody gets hurt. I would hate to call either of your parents for something so menial."

"Yes sir." Nick said quietly.

The principal turned to me. "And you, Stanley... I understand that you have a history of skipping class after you finish your school work. I insist you instead find a book in the library and read it in class. Your teachers would greatly appreciate that."

"Oh." My ears lowered... and my heart sank. I knew what this meant... I couldn't go off on my own and play piano anymore...

The leopard leaned back in his chair, smiling again. "If this happens again, I'm not gonna have a choice. Someone's parents will be contacted. Understood?"

We both nodded.

"Super. I gotta go. Head on back to class, boys."

* * *

Me and Nick left his office, and we didn't speak to each other...

For the next 3 months.

* * *

 ** _Thank You For Reading!_**

* * *

 _Please let me know what you think so far._

 _I'll respond to every review._

Mysterydude23 \- _Heh, I hope this answers your question. Thank you for your review. I'm glad you enjoy this._


	3. Chapter 2: Assigned Seats

_**Chapter 2:**_

 _ **Assigned Seats**_

During those three months of separation, I watched Nicolas Wilde the fox. Sometimes, there seemed to be more going on in that orange furred head of his than math problems and violent outbursts. I would occasionally watch him sneak into a locker room and not return. I wondered if he would leave out the exit door on the other side of that room. Ditching school seemed like typical behavior.

As for me, I wanted badly to ditch class and go play piano in that almost ALWAYS empty auditorium. It seemed unfair that such a large instrument would just sit on that stage for days with nobody there to play it. But, I did as I was told... and I was told to stay in class.

However, there was one day class was cancelled for a pointless assembly meeting. I watched that room fill up with animals quickly, large animals in the back, and smaller ones up front in the smaller seats.

Did I actually go to that meeting? Well, I didn't want to, but I felt every teacher's eye watching me as I exited the classroom. It was hard not to break off from the flow of students... so there I was, sitting between a chatty pair of does to my left, and a homosexual wolf to my right.

How did I know he was hom- listen, there are SIGNS! These animals give off facial expressions, sometimes wear sleeveless tops, have piercings in whatever part of their body and they ALWAYS try to talk to you. This guy kept commenting to me the blatantly obvious of how lame this assembly meeting was. I concurred by nodding and "Mm hm" -ing, but never making eye contact.

I wasn't the first dog this guy hit on. Just a couple weeks ago I saw him talking to Nick himself, who seemed FAR less interested than me. But, I didn't feel bad for the guy cause he was later holding paws with some Alaskan Malamute later that day in the halls.

So I confidently knew if I said no to this wolf, he'd find someone else in no time.

When the assembly was over though, I was surprised when he linked elbows with me and whispered in my ear. "You know, you're cute, but ignoring people like that is really rude." He released me and walked ahead before I could say anything. I don't know why, but... that statement bothered me for the next 10 minutes.

* * *

The fox was at it again. Into the locker room and suddenly out of existence.

Nick Wilde was becoming more and more of a mystery to me. I wasn't wanting an apology anymore. For the first time, I actually just wanted to understand. Everybody has their reasons for lashing out. Weather it's biased hatred or unbiased love towards something, there was a reason behind it.

It seemed worse at this school. Some of the students were downright hateful towards each other. I've never seen so many same-species groups hanging around each other as if trying to keep warm from the cold outside world. I noticed there weren't any fox groups... foxes would always travel alone because nobody seemed to want to be around them. This agrivated me. I myself was a loner, but it was MY choice. If I wanted friends I would've tried to make them a long time ago.

One entire week went by where I didn't see Nick at all. Not in the class room, nor the halls. But, I saw how people talked about him when he was gone. They were happy about it. Some hoped that he died. I wanted to speak up in his defense a few times, but didn't have the guts to.

I stayed quiet... which seemed to be my strongest characteristic.

Several times during class I would look back at Nick's empty desk... I started to really wonder how much of these things were true. Was Nick really a bad fox? From what I gathered... maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I do need to stay away from him.

Ugh, I don't know... I guess I don't blame him for suddenly not showing up at a school that hates him. If this school hated me worse than it already did...

Well, actually, maybe I'd still come to school. I got some twisted thrill out of pissing animals off.

... For the right reasons.

* * *

The next week he did show up again, but he behaved a little differently. He didn't even lift his head from his assignments and books. He seemed more determined than ever to get school work done. That seemed to make other animals start to leave him alone. It was nice to hear less gossip. I was getting rather sick of it.

That day at lunch, Nick sat alone at a corner lunch table. I usually went outside to sit alone myself but maybe today could be differant. I thought about going over there and sitting next to him, but the way he kept his ears and head down, it seemed... a rather foolish idea. The LAST thing I wanted was to start another fight. I learned my lesson from before. I decided to go outside to my spot under the tree... It was always vacent. Apperantly nobody else cares for the shade as I do during lunch time.

Karma seems to have it's way with me though... because the next day they changed the seating arrangements and I was seated RIGHT next to Nick. I was nervous about this seating assignment. From all of the rumors, if I said or did anything wrong, the fox would "rip my guts out." So, I just kept quiet. So did he. We went the entire class period avoiding eachother, and it gave me a headache. This was in history class. The teacher, a white tiger named Mr. Frost, took me aside after class was over and told me he changed the seats like this because he knows how smart I am, and wants me to help Nick with his notes.

I shook my head. "Sir, I can't do that. Nick will never speak to me, led alone let me dictate his assignments."

The tiger smiled at me. It was awkward. "I know Nick better than ANY of these students do. Don't listen to them. Nick has been TRYING this whole year to get good grades. He would do better if he had help."

I sighed... my ears lowering. "I'll... try." I told him.

* * *

The next day, when Nick and me sat next to each other, I broke the ice by offering him a peice of gum. He turned to me, confused. He took it.

I saw his ears lift up. "Thanks."

"No problem." I cleared my throat.

The rest of the class went by without us saying much of anything else. Occasionally I'd ask, "Did you get that?" Or "Hey, write that down, it sounds important." But, he always seemed to be on top of things. His notes were longer than mine. By the end of the class, I got the message that he didn't LIKE to be told what to do. He'd rather just do it himself.

I respected that. I myself did the exact same thing. It made sense. ... and maybe me and the fox have more in common than I thought. Over time, I didn't even need to say anything. He would be just about at the same level I was with keeping up with the class. The teacher seemed pleased... even though I did NOTHING to make that happen. Nick was doing it all on his own.

Nick Wilde was becoming less and less of a mystery to me.

* * *

I got the courage to go and sit next to him at lunch. I was about to offer gum... but instead offered my jello. He looked up at me, tilting his head. "Why are you doing this, Shep? Don't you have some test to study for?"

"What? I just thought I'd say hi."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" He asked. It wasn't negative, it seemed like a genuine question.

And I had a dozen answers, but settled with two. "Well, one, because nobody else is, and two... I wanted to tell you I'm proud of you." And I meant it. From the begining of the year up until now, I've seen Nick become less focused on what animals thought of him, to more focused on his school work.

"You're... proud of me?"

"Yeah." I told him, clearing my throat. "You've been doing better in class."

He shifted in his seat. I noticed his styrofoam tray was empty. "Thanks." He said, hastily standing up and walking away. In a split second, the conversation was over. I probably sounded like a hall monitor to him... I felt stupid. I don't know how else to talk to this guy... Maybe... I shouldn't.

Damn those assigned seats... they always ruin everything!

* * *

Just later that same day I saw Nick in the hallway again, studying his book. When a brown bear, almost 3 times his size came over to him. "Yo, Nick. I was gone yesterday. Can I borrow your notes from Biology?"

"Nnnnope." Nick told him.

I did a double take and started watching.

"Oh, come on!" The bear insisted. "Nobody else is sharing theirs."

"I'm sure you'll find someone." He closed his book, stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder. "Good luck... and leave me alone."

The bear growled and grabbed Nick's backpack with one paw, raising it, AND Nick, several inches off the ground. "You think I'm kidding!?" He shook the backpack and Nick fell to the ground. Papers went flying out as did pencils and a calculator. The bear finally found the notes he wanted and tore them out, throwing the bag back to the ground. "I'll bring them back." As he walked away, I wanted to do something, but I just stood there. Eventually, I shook it off so I could go over and help pick up papers from the ground. "Are you okay?" I asked him.

Nick didn't answer. He just picked up as many papers as he could, stuffing them in his bag. He grabbed his bag ferociously and turned the opposite direction. This fox really wanted nothing to do with me... or anybody. He was better at being a loner than I was.

I looked down to see he had left one piece of paper. When I picked it up, I turned the opposite direction to read it.

It was an essay... written in remarkable penmanship, and the words were beautiful, almost poetic. I myself couldn't have written an essay quite like that. As I read it, it talked about an experience he had when he was younger. A vacation that his family could barely afford, where they went, the beauty of the environment, feeling at home in the forest... It sounded like he never wanted to go home.

When I turned the page over, my eyes widened in horror. The grade on this paper was a big fat D+!

"WHAT?!" I found myself saying outloud. I was so shocked by this I immediatly marched up to Mrs. Wilbur's classroom and slapped it on the pig's desk. "What is the meaning of this?"

Mrs. Wilbur removed her glasses. She liked me. She said I was one of the most litterate animals in the class... so me coming at her in such a rage must've meant there was a problem. She looked at the paper and chuckled. "You need to calm down. This is clearly enforged writing. Can't you tell?"

"I SIT next to him. He ALWAYS writes like this! Why would you fail him on such a beautiful essay?"

"I told you, he's a cheater."

"HOW CAN YOU CHEAT ON A LIFE STORY!?" I was infuriated by this, I had to sit down. I clutched my head, closed my eyes, and breathed deeply. "This... needs to be changed. I would've given him at LEAST a A- for this."

Mrs. Wilbur shrugged. "Well, I'm the teacher, and I say he gets a D. You can't trust foxes, Stan. They always find a way to make you THINK they're smart, but his history of cheating says it all."

"He's NOT cheating anymore! I KNOW him!"

She stood up. "Would you kindly stop raising your voice at me? What is done, is done. I'm sorry."

I was about to say something, but the door opened. Some other students came in. Class was getting ready to start. I gritted my teeth and took the fox's essay out the door with me.

As I walked out of that room, something inside me changed. I no longer saw Nick as a threat in this school... I could clearly see now that he was a victim. He was the one getting screwed over.

I now knew why the fox was so cynical and harsh towards the world around him... it's because they refuse to believe he's a good animal. They only see the devil inside him.

Something had to be done about this! Nobody else was going to do anything about it. I have to get Mr. Frost to talk to Mrs. Wilbur and PROVE to her that Nick is a good student. I wasn't playing their game anymore.

I have to do something!


End file.
